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New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:
- Ken Sparta and Thomas Henninger, the owners of the Freeport Oyster Bar, are launching a new business in town called Sparta’s Sips and Subs (instagram). They plan to serve upscale deli sandwiches like muffulettas and a smoked pollock sandwich made with harissa mayo and pickles. Located on the first floor of 7 Mill Street (top right photo) in Freeport, Sparta’s is expected to launch in August.
- Moving into the second floor of 7 Mill Street is What the Actual Fudge (website, facebook, instagram). WTAF sells a wide range of house-made fudge. New to the line-up in Freeport will be some new flavors including a ghost pepper sea salt. Owners Kathy and James Welle will be holding a ribbon cutting at noon this Friday, August 15th. Hours for the business will initially be Monday through Saturday 11 am – 7 pm, and Sunday 11 am – 6 pm. What the Actual Fudge also operates a store at the Maine Mall in South Portland.
- Modestman Brewing has consolidated all their brewing operations in South Portland. The brewery was founded in New Hampshire and launched their South Portland location in the summer of 2023.
- Daily Soup, the takeout soup shop that’s operated in Belfast since 2012, has announced plans to close. Their last day in operation will be October 23rd. Owner Courtney Sanders shared on facebook, “Despite our best efforts to keep it going, we have watched our customer base slowly decline over the past year and a half. We had high hopes for this summer, but it has been a lackluster tourist season for us, compared to year’s past. It is clear that we have not made the gains needed to soldier through another winter.”
- Katie’s Confections (instagram) has leased the building at 894 Minot Street in Auburn. The grab-and-go market will have sweet and savory items like cinnamon rolls, donuts and cookies and lunch options like chowder, mac and cheese, chicken pot pies, and baked beans on Saturdays. Owner Katie Ray hopes to launch the business sometime in September. Ray formerly operated Ally Kat’s Farm Land Market in West Gardiner for seven years.
- BiddoFoodies has published a set of photos from the Sunday brunch at Pacifico in Saco. They show menu items like French toast, a flank steak sandwich, chilaquiles and more.
- The Harpswell Anchor has a report on Cribstone Coffee (instagram), a donation based coffee truck that’s raising funds for the Santa Fund. Cribstone Coffee is located at 1845 Harpswell Island Road on Orrs Island.
- Marvelous Macarons (instagram) has leased a 1,540 sq ft space at 245 Center St in Auburn where owner Jenna Roberts is relocating her Sabattus bakery. Roberts will offer a menu of cupcakes, pastries, macarons and other sweet treats. She also will be teaching cake baking classes starting. Roberts hopes to open her new bakery in late August, and when it does it will be open Wednesday through Saturday.
- A new 8-lane bowling alley and bar called The Gutter (website, instagram) is scheduled to open on August 20th in Biddeford. The Gutter is located at 129 Main Street in the building known as the Marble Block. The menu will include pressed sandwiches, hot dogs, and draft beer. They’ll be open daily, noon – 1 am. This will be Gutter’s fourth bowling alley, they have three existing locations in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan.
- Katahdin Kitchen (instagram) has launched a new grab-and-go location in Old Town. They’re located at 136 Center Street and plan to be open Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 am – 3 pm. You can see their menu on instagram.
- The Times Record reports on the launch Showman’s and The Big Cheese, a food truck in West Bath operated by David Crocker. “Crocker created a menu offering two hot dogs, chips and a drink for under $9 for lunch, but he eventually added crabmeat and lobster rolls. Showman’s also has The Big Cheese, which features Texas toast and double portions of cheese, and the grilled cheese pizza, which is a grilled cheese sandwich with pepperoni and marinara sauce.”
- The Midcoast Villager has published articles about Circumstance in Swanville (bottom two photos), “Circumstance is a small but exquisite restaurant right off 141 in Swanville where the dedication to local sourcing is no gimmick: 95% of what is served is from the Midcoast. Khris Hogg, the chef-owner of Circumstance, uses many ingredients grown on and around his family’s homestead, where he opened the restaurant in the barn last summer.”
- The Villager has also published an article and about QP Burger which chef Michael Mastronardi opened last month in Martinsville. “Simplicity. Consistency. Quality. Those three words sum up Mastronardi’s vision for QP Burger, a takeout restaurant with three main items on the menu: burgers, hot dogs and fries. The ground beef comes from Pineland Farms in New Gloucester. The dogs are either all-beef Sabretts or red snappers from W.A. Bean and Sons, made in Bangor since 1860.”
- Fish & Whistle in Biddeford was featured in the July issue of Down East magazine. “The fish sandwich is typical and, at the same time, exceptional. Typical as far as what it comprises: bun, fried fish, tartar sauce, lettuce. Exceptional because every detail is carefully attended to by husband-and-wife owners Jason Eckerson and Kate Hamm, who shared a semifinalist nod from the James Beard Awards earlier this year in the category of emerging chefs.”
- The Midcoast Villager and the Bangor Daily News both have reports on 8 Bells (website, facebook, instagram), a new Irish pub that recently opened at 45 Mechanic Street in Camden. They’re open daily, 2 – 10 pm.
- The Maine Sunday Telegram gave Winona’s (top left photo) in Camden a 4 star rating in last week’s restaurant review. “The first dish to hit our table at Winona’s on a late June Thursday evening — a divine halibut crudo with drinkably delicious coconut milk sauce — set a high bar for the rest of the meal. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have great expectations even before I arrived.”
- The Allagash Bungalow in Scarborough opened for business on August 2nd. See our previous article for all the details.
For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.